Tribal Learning Series Aims to Facilitate Conversations and Education

In honor of Native American month, two Central Oregon organizations are partnering to offer a unique community learning event that explores how people can engage and work with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and other tribal nations.

The Tribal Learning Series, offered by Suppah Consulting and Allyship in Action, will offer participants the choice of in-person or online sessions, delving into several topics, including territory acknowledgments, the history of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and best practices for working with Warm Springs and other tribal communities.

November is Native American Heritage Month as designated in 1990 by the U.S. Congress. Jaylyn Suppah, a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and chief executive officer of Suppah Consulting, will conduct the sessions. It’s the first community-wide offering of her workshop, which she’s previously provided privately to individual clients and organizations.

“There are several tribal nations in and around Deschutes County and I just felt like it was very important that community members had an opportunity to be able to have a space to ask their questions to learn and be in community together to learn about what the rights and responsibilities of tribal nations are to the land as well as folks that are living on those lands,” Suppah said. “With the times that we’re in right now with, and the landscape of our nation, as well as that November is Native American Heritage Month, I just felt like this would be a really good time to be able to bring awareness and education to the community of Central Oregon.”

Kristine McConnell, senior vice-president for programs and operations for Visit Central Oregon, plans to attend the workshop and said she’s looking forward to learning directly from Suppah. Visit Central Oregon is a marketing association that provides a wealth of information about the area from where to stay to things to do and events.

“Personally, and professionally for me, building trust within our tribal communities is important,” McConnell said by phone. “What I appreciate about what Allyship is focusing on for this workshop is that they’re working with a local consultant, Jaylyn, and having that local perspective and insight into our local tribes here is helpful for our team and for the work that I do with our team and with our regional contacts.”

Kathi Barguil, community relations manager for the city of Bend, agrees.

“I’m excited to participate in the Tribal Learning Series because if organizations in Bend and throughout Central Oregon want to respectfully and impactfully collaborate with the Warm Springs Tribal Council and Warm Springs community groups, there is a fundamental understanding about tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, and government-to-government relationship-building that needs to be achieved,” Barguil said via email. “The City of Bend has an existing (memorandum of understanding) with the Warm Springs Tribal Council, and in order to deliver on transformational programs and initiatives, we must be open to learning and adapting within this partnership to be better neighbors and co-stewards. On a personal note, and in my personal relationships with friends in Warm Springs, I want to show up as a better friend who is open to continued growth, being challenged, and who can show up and support in an informed and mindful way.

LeeAnn O’Neill of Allyship in Action said that in partnering with Suppah for a “lot of different work,” she recognized a need for broader community education with respect to how people collaborate with the Warm Springs tribal community. Suppah agreed, and the idea of conducting the community-wide sessions was born. Both Suppah and O’Neill pointed to the development of the Thornburgh golf resort, an approximately 2,000-acre site near Redmond, as an example of why that education is vital. While there have been various groups contesting the resort’s development, primarily due to the resort’s proposed water use, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs has questioned whether water used for the intended golf course and approximately 950 homesites would impact fish in the Deschutes River Basin, thereby affecting tribal fishing rights.

Suppah said that governmental bodies and representatives haven’t done “a good job of consulting with the tribal nation” with respect to the Thornburgh development and that “there should also have been engagement with the tribal community, because those are two separate issues in my mind. As far as I know, the Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs has come out against it, which is reasonable, given the fact that there was really limited-to-no consultation. I think there has to be some steps back. And the folks that are making those decisions, as well as the businesspeople behind them, need to understand what tribal consultation means and the laws around it.”

O’Neill said that way in which the resort development has been handled “highlighted the need for greater community education around tribal consultation and what it looks like to work respectfully (with the tribe) and have an understanding of the treaty rights of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and even having an understanding of basic things, like that the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is a sovereign nation and that we should be engaging with them as such.”

The Tribal Learning Series will offer both virtual and in-person sessions. On Thursday, Nov. 13, all participants will meet on Zoom from noon to 1pm for part one, which delves into territory acknowledgements and how organizations can use them and “navigate territory acknowledgments authentically.” Territory acknowledgements refer to a formal or public statement that recognizes the Indigenous people who live on, and care for, specific lands.

For parts two through four, virtual participants will meet online for the first three Tuesdays in December, from 10am to noon, while those who register for the in-person offering will attend a full-day workshop on Saturday, Nov. 22 from 10am to 4pm at The Haven coworking space at 1001 S.W. Disk Drive in Bend. Spork of Bend will provide lunch for the in-person attendees.

Part two details the history of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Tribal as well as its governmental structure and the “diversity of Tribal Nations,” while part three will cover how to consult with tribal nations, “both informally and formally.” Part four will delve into community engagement with respect to tribal communities, including “what approaches are most effective and what approaches are not.”

“This is a first-of-its-kind learning opportunity that is available to the public. From our understanding, we haven’t really seen other opportunities where folks can, in a public learning environment, really learn these things,” O’Neill said. “There is a thirst for this, and people are trying to figure out how to learn these things in a really respectful way.”

That thirst for knowledge is what drew Jennifer Alkezweeny, program director for Oregon Humanities, to register for the sessions. Oregon Humanities is a nonprofit that brings “people together across differences of background and belief” through a variety of programs centering conversation and storytelling, said Alkezweeny via email.

“The series piqued my interest because I’m continually seeking ways to learn about Oregon’s diverse Tribal communities, their histories and current activities, and how both personally and professionally there might be opportunity for collaboration. Through my work and community involvement, I’ve come to understand there is a great deal of nuance between Tribal Nations, Tribal communities, and Indigenous people as individuals,” Alkezweeny said. “I appreciate this series being offered to deepen that learning. I hope it is a space to learn more about Oregon’s Tribal Nations, specifically about the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, ask questions in a space where that is invited, and connect with other participants who are also interested in this series. Organizationally, I’m hoping to bring back what I learn to share with the team, use that learning to continue to work at relationship building with Tribal communities in Oregon, and think together about ways Oregon Humanities can continue to deepen our work with Indigenous people in Oregon.”

Audrey Tehan is the founder and executive director of Seed to Table Oregon, a nonprofit organic farm based in Sisters that grows approximately 100,000 pounds of fresh food annually that it distributes through various Central Oregon partners. The organization also hosts 1,000 Central Oregon students each year for educational field trips and manages the Sisters Farmer Market. Tehan has previously attended one of Suppah’s private workshops and said she found it so informative that she’s attending the upcoming one and has encouraged her organization’s board members and several staff members to attend as well.

“I think that it’s just an incredibly valuable experience anytime you get to hear from a tribal member or LeeAnn or any of these individuals, to deepen your learning and to explore the role that your organization may or may not have within certain areas of the community,” Tehan said. “It’s also really valuable to learn how you can best support the leaders of those communities in the work that they’re doing.”

For more information or to register for the Tribal Learning Series, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HFJJ28S. There is a sliding fee scale for participants. Contact hello@allyshipinaction.com before submitting your registration regarding the possibility of a reduced or waived workshop fee.

This article appears in the Source November 13, 2025.